


Memory Is All We Are

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amnesia, Amnesiac Tony Stark, Crying, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Happy Ending, Hugs, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Medical Inaccuracies, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Peter Parker, Swearing, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark has amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-01 19:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19183843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Tony gets amnesia and forgets his family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been boiling in my brain for a while and I finally got to start it!

Tony wakes up in a hospital bed. His eyes blearily dance across the ceiling, searching for something familiar, there’s nothing. 

“Tony,” a relieved voice says from his side. Tony tips his head to the left and his eyes land on the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. She has long hair and perfectly done makeup. She wears a neatly fitted matching jacket and skirt, something about her is familiar to Tony. But he doesn’t recognize her.

“Who are you?” Tony mutters. The woman’s eyes widen in surprise and then slowly fill with sadness.

“My name is Pepper,” the woman says, “Pepper Potts. Do you know who I am?”

Tony shakes his head, “No. I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t.” Pepper’s eyes fill with tears and Tony finds himself unable to watch her cry. Pepper presses her hand over her mouth as she stands up. She looks at Tony for a second and she looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t say anything. She turns tail and nearly runs out of the room, her heels clicking. Tony furrows his brow, who is she? 

The door opens again and a doctor walks. The man has mostly grey hair and holds a clipboard with a pen stuck behind his ear. “Tony?” He asks. Tony nods. “Do you know who I am?” Tony shakes his head. “Alright, I’m Dr. Bruce Banner and I need to ask you a few questions, okay?” 

“Sure,” Tony shrugs. 

“Do you know where you are?” Bruce asks, his pen poised to write.

“A hospital?” Tony asks. 

The man writes something down, “Do you know what year it is?” Tony racks his brain.

“It’s um...I don’t know,” Tony says honestly. 

The man sighs, “Okay.” He sits down in the chair and leans forward. “Tony, I think you have amnesia. To be sure, I’ll run some tests and maybe find out how long it’ll last.” Tony nods. Bruce sighs.“There are some people you’re going to want to meet.” Tony looks confused, Burce explains, “You’ve already met Pepper, but there are two people you need to meet.”

“Do they know...” Tony asks. 

Bruce nods, “Pepper told them.” Bruce stands up, “I’ll bring them in.” He leaves the room and Tony pushes himself to sit up in the hospital bed. Bruce walks back in a few seconds later with two people trailing behind him. The first one is a man with dark skin and shaved hair he is followed by a young boy with curly hair and large brown eyes. Tony finds his eyes drawn to the boy, his eyes are on the ground and his hands are hidden in an oversized sweater with the name of a high school on it. His first instinct tells him that this is his son.

“Tony,” Bruce says, “this is your family.” Tony’s eyes widen, he has a family?

The man speaks up, “Hi, Tony. My name is James Rhodes, but you always called me Rhodey.” He shrugs with a soft smile, his eyes misty, “I was your best friend, we met at MIT probably about 20 or 30 years ago.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tony says quietly. Rhodey nods, teary-eyed.

Tony gazes at the boy, he is clearly anxious and Tony feels a strange parental urge to hug him. Rhodey sees the boy’s anxiety and puts his arm around the boy, “Go ahead,” he says quietly. The boy nods. 

“Um, my name is P-Peter Parker and I’m, um, I’m your intern.” The boy, Peter, says. Bruce and Rhodey look shocked at his words and Tony doesn’t understand why. But if he was only his intern then why would Bruce call him his family? He looks up at Peter and finds that his eyes are watery. 

“Come on, Peter,” Bruce says. Peter ducks his head and quickly walks over to Bruce who puts an arm around Peter and leads him out. Tony follows them with his eyes, but Tony doesn’t know him or the man in front of him. 

“Tony?” Rhodey asks nervously. 

Tony shakes his head, “Please leave.” 

“What-” Rhodey says. 

“I don’t know who you are,” Tony says simply. “Please leave.” 

Tears form in Rhodey’s eyes, “I’m sorry, Tony.” As he walks out of the room, he looks over his shoulder one last time and closes the door. 

Outside the room, Rhodey sees Peter crying in Bruce’s arms. “Oh, buddy,” Rhodey says. Peter looks up at Rhodey, the low lighting accenting the shadows on his face.

“I-I thought he would-would remember when-en he s-aw us,” Peter hiccups. 

“I know,” Bruce says sympathetically. “We all did. Don’t worry, Peter this could go away in as soon as an hour.”

Peter shakes his head, “Or as long as never.” 

“We can’t think like that, Peter,” Rhodey says.

“He’s right,” Bruce says. “But I know that you’ll go crazy if you do nothing, so I sent you Tony’s brain scans.” Peter nods, “When you’re ready, they’ll be ready for you. 

“Thanks, Bruce,” Peter says. Both men give him a hug before sending him on his way. 

Rhodey sighs, “I hope he gets better soon, this is going to kill us.”

Bruce nods, “I second that.”

Bruce releases Tony from bed rest a few hours later. He gives Tony a small tour of his personal floor of the tower, but Bruce can’t find the happiness to smile at Tony’s reaction to finding out that he is a billionaire, a genius, and a superhero.

“Where is everyone?” Tony asks once Bruce concludes the tour and they’re back in the living room.

Bruce sighs, “They’re...busy.” 

Tony looks down, “They’re avoiding me.”

Bruce nods, “I’m sorry, Tony, but it’s hard for them. You’re their family and you not recognizing them is more painful than you can imagine.” 

Tony sinks down onto the couch, “God. I just want to know who they are, I want my memories back.” 

“I know,” Bruce sighs, “but we have our best man on the job. We’re going to figure this out, Tony.”

“Who’s working on it?” Tony asks. 

“Peter,” Bruce explains with a proud smile.

“He’s the best?” Tony asks, not believing that a child could be the best they have. 

Bruce smiles, “Yep, he’s smarter than you and me combined.” Tony finds himself smiling too. 

But then he begins to think, “Bruce, can you leave me alone? I just need to work through this,” Tony says. 

“Alright,” Bruce says. He stands up and squeezes Tony’s shoulder, “Call me if you need me.” Tony nods. As Bruce walks away, Tony digs his hands into his hair. He takes a soft breath and tries to remember, tries to find a sense of familiarity in his surroundings. He comes up empty-handed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this!

Tony presses the button in the elevator. As he walks in a voice from all around him says, “Where to, boss?” Tony screams and ducks his head instinctively. 

“What is happening?” Tony asks loudly. 

“I’m sorry, boss,” the room says. “My name is FRIDAY, I’m an AI you created.” FRIDAY gives Tony a moment to process it. “What floor would you like to go to?”

“Uh,” Tony thinks for a moment, “the floor I spend the most time on.” The elevator slowly goes down. “Maybe that’ll help me,” Tony mutters under his breath. 

The doors open a few seconds later to a short hallway with two doors. Tony goes up to the door on the right. A sign on it reads BRUCE’S LAB. Tony turns away from it and goes to the other door. That sign reads TONY’S LAB. He smiles slightly and opens the door. Tony expects to find the room dark, maybe with a desk or two, but otherwise empty. However, he finds it occupied. 

The lights are on and soft music is playing over the speakers, it sounds vaguely familiar, but he can’t place it. At the center of the room is Peter, standing in front of several large screens. He scribbles something down in his notebook and bites the eraser. Peter’s hair is in his eyes so he blows it away. He quickly flips between pages in a notebook, nearly tearing them in his haste.

“Hello,” Tony says. Peter spins around, his eyes wide, the pencil he was holding drops to the ground with a soft thump. “It was my understanding that this was my lab,” Tony says calmly. 

“I-I’m sorry, sir,” Peter stutters. He quickly makes a pile of all of his things. “I’ll get out.”

Something about that is wrong, Tony interrupts Peter as he unceremoniously shoves loose papers into a blue folder, “Do you always call me sir?” He asks. 

Peter ducks his head, putting pencils into a small bag, “No, sir.”

Tony softens, taking a small step towards the boy, “Then why are you calling me that?”

Peter keeps his head down, “Because you don’t know me and it’s more respectful.” When Tony doesn’t say anything Peter begins to leave, piling all of his papers and notebooks into his arms. Tony reaches out and grabs Peter's arm as he tried to pass him. He expects Peter to stop, but he doesn’t expect Peter to stumble backward and start hyperventilating, his papers falling from his arms.

“Peter?” Tony asks cautiously, taking a small step towards him. He watches with panicked eyes as Peter starts to cry, unable to control his breath. When Tony tries to move closer to the boy, Peter pushes past him and runs out of the room. Tony stares at the door as it clicks shut. 

“FRIDAY, right?” Tony asks the ceiling. 

“Yes, boss.”

“Can you tell me what the hell is going on with Peter?” Tony asks as he begins to pick up Peter’s papers from the floor. 

“Peter is exhibiting signs of a panic attack,” FRIDAY says, “but he is getting help from Dr. Banner, he’ll be alright.”

Tony nods, feeling a sense of relief that Peter’s alright, “Do you know what caused it?”

“Yes.” FRIDAY says, “I’m sorry to tell you this, boss, but I believe that you acting in a way that is unfamiliar to Peter caused him to have a panic attack.”

“Shit.” Tony sets down Peter’s work. Tony drags his hands through his hair. He sits like that for a moment, then he asks FRIDAY, “Did I, uh, have a close relationship with Peter?”

“Yes, boss,” FRIDAY replies, sweetly. “You and Peter spent an average of three days together a week. It might be worth mentioning that many of your friends have called your relationship with Peter parental.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Tony mutters. 

“It is, boss,” FRIDAY says. Tony flips through some of the open notebooks on the desk, finding complicated formulas, compounds of chemicals, and a healthy amount of doodles. Tony can’t help but smile at some of the childish doodles in what he assumes to be Peter’s handwriting. He spends twenty minutes just looking at the notebooks and the rest of the lab, finding small traces of Peter all over the lab. From candy bar wrappers to doodles nearly ever paper he finds, even the ones that are clearly in Tony’s handwriting, everything has a trace of Peter. 

“Boss, Peter has just shoved something under the door,” FRIDAY says, pulling Tony out of his trance. Tony narrows his eyes in confusion and walks over to the door. On the floor is an envelope with his name on it, written in neat penmanship. He tears it open and reads the letter.

Dear Mr. Stark,

My name is Peter Parker. I told you that I was your intern, but that’s not entirely true. You don’t know what I’m talking about and I’m not going to go through the pain of explaining it. If you really want to know you can ask Bruce or Pepper. 

I’m sorry, but you not knowing who I am is really hard and I don’t think that I can be around you. I want you to know that I am not mad at you, this has everything to do with me. I don’t want you to think that you’re pushing me away, because you’re not. I don’t know who this version of you is and to be honest, I’m scared. So please respect my privacy and let me stay away. 

Thank you,

Peter

PS. I put my favorite photo of our family in this letter. I hope you remember.

Tony wipes his eyes as he finishes the letter, our family. Peter is part of his family? He slides the photo out from behind the letter. The photo is of Pepper, Tony, and Peter piled together on the couch. Tony is leaning back against the arm of the couch with a fond smile. His arm is wrapped around Pepper whose head is resting on Tony’s chest. Peter is curled between them, his eyes closed with a soft smile on his face. 

“Oh, God,” Tony says to himself. “I need to remember.” He tells himself, digging his hands into legs painfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! If you enjoyed this, I have quite a bit more here and on my tumblr! @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> You can say hi or give me writing prompts on my tumblr, I love hearing from you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so you'll notice that this is now going to be five chapters, I originally thought that I could blend this chapter with the next one, but they both ended up being too long. Anyway, you should expect the next update to happen either sometime today or early tomorrow morning, whenever I get around to editing it. 
> 
> Also a huge thanks for being so patient for this update. I've been having horrible writer's block and I just got over it when I wrote this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this!

It takes two days for Peter to come out of his room. 

After he left the letter to Tony under the door, he ran. He ran to the garage where Happy was waiting to drive him home. The two said nothing on the ride home, both understanding their mutual need for silence. 

When Peter had walked in the door to his apartment, May had given him a long hug. She told him that she was sorry and that everything was going to be alright. But Peter couldn’t help but wonder how she could think that. To him, everything was in pieces and he couldn’t see a way to fix it.

The closest thing he has to a father figure has no memory of him. No memory of all of the hours and hours they spent together or every inside joke and small moment that built up their relationship. Tony doesn’t remember. 

Peter didn’t leave his room, and May didn’t force him. She brought him dinner and occasionally told him about some news on Tony’s condition, but none of it mattered. Not to Peter. It wouldn’t matter until he got a call, telling him that Tony remembered and that he wanted to see him. 

After two days of being holed up in his room, he forces himself to go out as Spiderman. He pulls on the suit, trying not to think of all the hours he spent with Tony making sure that it was perfect. And when he hears Karen speak, he tries not to think about how Tony made her especially for him. But he fails. He swings himself up to a rooftop and just sits. He thinks over everything, talking quietly to Karen about their situation, asking her advice. 

“Peter, I suggest you talk to Pepper,” Karen says softly, “she’s going through the same thing you are.” 

Peter sighs, “Is she going to want to see me?” He twists his fingers together. “It was my fault he got hit.”

“You don’t know that, Peter. In that situation there were too many variables, anyone could have gotten hit.” Karen says. 

“But he did,” Peter whimpers, tears slowly bleeding through his mask. “He was protecting me,” Peter whispers to the air. “The shot was aimed at me, but he jumped in front of it.”

“Peter, someone protecting you is not your fault. It was Tony’s choice to save you,” Karen says. And logically Peter knows that she is right, but he can’t help but blame himself.

“What do I do, Karen?” Peter asks helplessly. 

“Talk to Pepper,” Karen advises, “or Rhodey. They can help you better than I can and I think it will help you to talk to someone who is going through the same thing you are.” 

Peter nods, “Thanks, Karen.” As Peter swings home he tries to think of what to say to Pepper. He hasn’t talked to the woman much and, to be honest, she kind of scares him. 

By the time Peter is showered and changed into pajamas, he still has no clue what to say, but nonetheless, he picks up his phone and calls Pepper. It rings three times, “Hello?” Pepper’s voice comes on the other line. He voice is slightly hoarse and she sounds like she’s been crying. 

“Hi, Pepper,” Peter says nervously. He lowers himself onto his bed, tucking his feet under him. 

“Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?” 

Peter shrugs, even though she can’t see him, “I’m alright.”

“No, you’re not,” Pepper says and Peter can hear a hint of remorse in her voice. 

Peter sighs, “No I’m not,” he agrees. Before Pepper can say anything else, he asks, “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” Pepper says, “but I’m keeping myself busy with work.” 

“Have you seen him at all?” Peter asks as he tugs on a loose string on his pants. 

“Honestly, I’ve been avoiding him,” Pepper sighs. “Bruce has been staying with him, but none of us can really handle being around him.” Pepper sounds miserable. “I feel so shitty for staying away, but...”

“I know,” Peter says. The conversation lulls for a moment. “Pepper, I’m sorry.” 

“What are you sorry for?” She asks. 

“For getting him hurt, he was trying to protect me, and I-” 

“Peter, it’s okay,” Pepper cuts him off. “I don’t blame you, none of us do. We’re going to figure this out and if we don’t, we’ll get through, okay?” 

“Okay,” Peter whispers, tear pressing up against his eyes.

“On that same page, Bruce wanted me to let you know that he sent you some new data he wants you to take a look at. Do you think you’d be up to help him?” Pepper asks. 

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be fine,” Peter says. “I’ll take a look at them in the morning.” 

“Alright,” Pepper says, her voice shining with a glimmer of hope. “Goodnight, Peter.”

“Goodnight,” Peter says. He pulls the phone away from his ear and hangs up. Peter quickly checks his email and finds three new ones from Bruce, the new data Pepper was talking about. He sighs and turns his phone off, plugging it in on his bedside table. “Tomorrow,” he tells himself. 

The next morning, Peter wakes up to his phone ringing. He blindly reaches over and answers it, “Hello?” He answers, his voice thick with sleep. 

“Peter, it’s Rhodey.” Rhodey’s voice a slow and heavy. 

“Is something wrong?” Peter asks, instantly becoming more awake. 

“Maybe,” Rhodey says hesitantly. “How fast can you come over here?”

Peter looks at his clock, “I can be there in fifteen if I swing.” 

“Alright, be safe.” And with that Rhodey hangs up. Peter quickly changes into his suit, writes a quick note to May, and jumps out his window. He swings quickly above the streets, filled with the morning commuters. His head is filled with a million possibilities of what could be happening, but the truth is, he doesn’t know. He urges himself to go faster.

Ten minutes later, Peter lands on the roof of the tower. FRIDAY unlocks the door for him and he sprints down the stairs. 

“FRIDAY, where am I going?” He asks once he gets to the elevator, tapping his foot quickly against the metal floor.

“Dr. Banner’s lab,” FRIDAY says. Even she seems to be in a rush, Peter thinks as the elevator arrives at its destination far faster than normal. Then, Peter is out of the elevator like a shot. He yanks open the door to Bruce’s lab and hurries in.

In the room, Bruce stands with his hands quickly running over the keyboard, Rhodey anxiously biting his nails behind him. 

“Two days,” Bruce says, his voice filled with horror. 

“Shit,” Rhodey replies, running his hand over his face. 

“What?” Peter asks for the doorway. The two men turn around to Peter. Bruce sighs in relief, “Thank God you're here.”

“What’s going on?” Peter asks quickly, walking over to Bruce and Rhodey. 

“We found something, something bad,” Rhodey says. “Tony is losing more memories.”

“What?” Peter asks, alarmed. “How is that possible?”

Bruce sighs, “I have no idea, but I’m hoping you’re able to help.” Bruce walks Peter over to his desk, pointing at some charts. “Yesterday Tony kept asking us was had just happened or where he was. He kept losing track of what was going on. Then this morning, he asked me what a toaster was. I predict that in about two days he’ll lose all memories and the ability to make new ones.”

“Oh, God,” Peter says. He sinks down into a chair, taking one of the charts in his hands. 

“Yeah,” Rhodey says. “We need you to tell us anything you remember about the man who did this or the weapon he used. We need to find a cure.” 

Peter nods. He grabs a pencil and a piece of paper from the desk. He quickly scribbles a crude drawing of a weapon on it, “It looked like this.” He says as he hands the paper to Bruce. 

“Was it glowing?” Bruce asks. 

Peter shakes his head, “It looked like a water gun, it was colorful, but not glowing.”

“Not alien tech then,” Bruce mutters. “The projectile that hit Tony, what was it like?” Bruce turns away from Peter and begins typing quickly. 

“Uh,” Peter thinks for a moment, “it was kind of like a bullet. It hit him in his chest, but when the doctors tried to find it, it was gone.”

Bruce nods, “I’m guessing it absorbed into his bloodstream. In which case, there is no easy way to do this. We need an antidote or we need to try to find the cure using Tony’s blood. Obviously, the antidote would be much easier...”

“Ah-ha!” Peter says jumping to his feet, “The man said something out it working on all of its test subjects, even himself. But the guy was completely fine when we met him. Which means...” He turns to the others with wide eyes. 

“He as an antidote,” Rhodey says. Peter nods. “Do you remember what he looked like?” 

Peter shrugs, “Maybe.” He thinks, “I remember thinking he looked kind of like Clint but with busier eyebrows and messed up teeth. Uh, he had, uh... Oh!” Peter says, “He had a broken finger. This one.” Peter points to his middle finger on his right hand. He thinks for another moment, “That’s all I remember.” 

Bruce nods, “I can work with that. Give me a few hours, okay? We’re going to get this bastard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this update! You can come give me fic prompts on tumblr or just hmu if you want: @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> I love hearing from you guys so you can message me anytime!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got it up today! I'm not as lazy as I thought! I hope y'all like this chapter! 
> 
> The final chapter will be up within the next two days. I already have plans for it, I just need to sit down and write it.

Bruce has been working on finding the culprit for several hours now with no luck. 

Rhodey and Peter have taken up shop on the small couch in the lab, snacks piled on the table in front of them. Peter is so tired and worried and helpless that he can’t bring himself to be embarrassed at the way he curls against Rhodey. His eyelids are heavy and he’s too tired to bother with trying to stay awake.

Rhodey keeps his arm around Peter like he has seen Tony do with the boy. With Peter’s head resting on his shoulder and his hands holding loosely to his t-shirt, Rhodey can understand why Tony is so protective of him. He feels an overwhelming need to keep him safe as Peter slowly drifts to sleep.

“I got our guy!” Bruce says a few minutes later. Peter’s eyes shoot open. Rhodey and Peter exchange a look before they nearly run over to Bruce at his desk. He has an image of a man pulled up on his screen. “Is this him?” Peter nods, unable to speak. They were going to do it. Tony is going to be okay.

Rhodey leans forward, reading from the screen, “His name is Jackson Dune. He lives West of the city. We could be there in...two hours.” The men exchange looks. 

“Let’s do this.” Peter says confidently. 

While Rhodey and Peter go get ready, Bruce goes upstairs to tell Pepper what they are doing. 

He gingerly knocks on the door to his office, “Pepper?” He asks. 

“Come in,” Pepper says. Her voice is quiet and lacks the authoritative power it normally has. Bruce opens the door and walks in. “Is everything okay, Bruce?” She asks. 

Bruce shakes his head, setting a manila folder on her desk, “We found something and we have a lead on a cure.”

Pepper’s eyes are slowly filled with hope, “Really?”

Bruce nods, “I’m taking Peter and Rhodey out to see if we can find it.”

Pepper frowns, “Peter?” Bruce nods. “Is he okay to go? When I talked to him on the phone he seemed...I don’t know, off.” Bruce nods. 

“You know the kid, Pepper,” Bruce shrugs. “I doubt he’ll let us leave him behind.”

Pepper nods, “Just promise me you’ll keep him safe. Tony will go crazy if anything happens to him.”

“I promise.” Bruce offers Pepper a soft smile.

“Are you sure you want to do this, kid?” Rhodey asks as he steps into his suit. “You don’t have to come.”

Peter shakes his head, “Of course I do. Do you really think that I am going to be able to sit here and wait for you to come back?”

Rhodey sighs, “A man can dream.” 

Peter scoffs and rolls his eyes, “You sound like Tony.” Peter sits down on a nearby chair. “What if we don’t find the antidote?” He whispers. 

Rhodey sighs and kneels down beside Peter’s chair, “Like Bruce said, we can use his blood to make one. It’ll be okay.” Peter nods and Rhodey pulls him into a hug. Peter relaxes into the embrace. “Are you sure you’re okay to go?”

Peter nods against his chest, “I’ll be fine.”

It takes them ten minutes to get into their suits and in the quinjet. Bruce decides to wait in the jet as a backup in case things go to shit. As the jet flies out of the city, they sit down to make a plan. To Peter’s dismay, the majority of the plan involves Peter staying behind Rhodey and out of the fight. As they put their comms in, Rhodey asks Peter one more time if he’d rather stay back. 

“There’s no shame in it,” Rhodey says. 

“I’m going,” Peter says finally. Rhodey sighs and the helmet closes over his face. 

“Stay safe, you two,” Bruce says. Peter tugs his mask over his face and stands beside Rhodey. 

The doors to the quinjet open up to a large warehouse about a mile away. The building’s facade is bare, no words or logos on the outside. Three cars are parked in the parking lot, all of them black. The quinjet is surrounded by trees which keep it hidden from anyone who might look out the windows of the building. 

“I thought we were going to his house?” Peter whispers. 

Rhodey shrugs, “This warehouse was listed as his home address.”

Rhodey steps out first flying up a ways up. Peter shoots a web and it attaches to Rhodey’s foot. Rhodey flies the two of them over the trees while Peter tightens his grip on the web to keep from falling off. Behind him, he hears mechanical whirs as the quinjet door closes. A few seconds later, Rhodey and Peter land quietly on the roof of the building. The roof is covered in small white rocks and has a door in the center, for mechanical repairs of the roof. Rhodey and Peter approach the door quietly, the rocks shifting under their feet.

“Ready?” Rhodey asks. Peter nods and Rhodey kicks down the door with a loud crash. Quickly, the two of them run down the stairs which promptly end at a door with a small glass window in it. 

Peter walks past Rhodey peers through the door. “I see two people, neither of them have weapons, but there are guns on the table. I don’t think they heard us,” Peter relays.

Rhodey nods, “I’ll go first, you’re not bulletproof.” Peter rolls his eyes but steps back behind Rhodey. Rhodey checks on Peter over his shoulder before smashing through the door. He manages to get one down before the other man gets to the gun. The man fires at Rhodey, the bullets making loud dings as they hit the suit. Rhodey rushes forward and hits the gun out of his hands. Then he pulls the man’s hands behind his back. 

“Web him up, kid,” Rhodey says to Peter. Peter quickly wraps webbing around the man’s wrists and ankles and gently pushes him into a chair. Then he steps back, letting Rhodey do the interrogating.

“Is there anyone else here?” Rhodey asks. He picks up the man’s gun from the floor and presses it against his temple. 

“N-no,” the man stutters, his eyes nervously flicking between Peter and Rhodey. 

“Do you know where the antidote is?” Rhodey’s voice is gruff.

“What antidote?” The man asks, his eyes filled with fear. 

“The one for the amnesia-inducing gun,” Peter says, walking up to stand beside Rhodey. Rhodey gives him a look through his faceplate and Peter sheepishly steps back behind Rhodey. 

The man nods quickly, “I know where it is.” 

“Good,” Rhodey says, he leans closer to the man, “Tell us.”

The man nods to a small box on the table, it looks to be a shoe box, “It’s in there.”

“Get it, kid,” Rhodey tells Peter, not taking his eyes off the man in front of him. 

Peter walks quickly over to the box and takes off the lid. Inside are three rows of test tubes, all with the same silvery-blue formula inside. Peter hears Rhodey threatening the man, asking if he is telling the truth. 

Peter takes one. The vial is cool in his hand and looks almost like melted silver. Peter walks over and hands it to Rhodey, he tucks it into his suit. “Grab another one, just in case,” Rhodey tells him. Peter nods and grabs another, but he is too focused on his relief that they found the antidote and his fascination by whatever chemical is in his hand, that he is ignoring his spider-sense. 

He doesn’t hear the footsteps behind him or the cock of a gun. But he does hear the gunshot. And he can feel the bullet tear through his skin, embedding in his chest. Peter cries out and drops the vial in his hand. It shatters to the ground, spilling all over the floor. In his comms, Peter can hear Bruce frantically asking what happened. 

Peter crumbles to the ground, nearly falling on the broken glass. He presses his eyes closed and leans heavily against the leg of the table. It hurts to breathe, he thinks. He can feel something warm dripping down his back, he assumes it’s blood. Peter looks up to see Rhodey fighting a third man. He tries to get up to help him, but he finds himself unable to move. 

Suddenly he is being lifted off of the floor and into Rhodey’s arms. For a moment, the embrace is so familiar that Peter almost thinks he’s in Tony’s arms. Almost. Peter rests his cheek against the suit, feeling the cold metal through the fabric of his mask. He can hear Rhodey distantly trying to tell him something, but he can only focus on pain. 

His eyes droop closed and Peter doesn’t have the strength to open them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr: romeoandjulietyouwish 
> 
> You can also give me prompts because I love writing what you guys want to read! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it, y'all! I finally finished this and I am so proud of this. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter and if you do feel free to check out the rest of my fics!

Peter wakes up in a hospital bed. His eyelids are no longer heavy and he slowly pries them open to find himself looking up at fluorescent lights, he squints at the intensity. His brain feels slow as he forces his eyes to look to the left and right. 

He tries to speak, but he only makes a small whimper from the back of his throat. Thankfully, someone hears it.

“Peter,” a soft voice says, filled with relief. Peter can hear someone standing up and then a face comes into his view. 

“Tony?” Peter asks, his voice scratchy. He can feel tension growing inside him as he watches his mentor carefully, the last time he saw him he had had a panic attack. “What are you doing here?” He asks tentatively. 

Tony smiles sadly, “You’re my kid, Pete.”

Peter’s eyes widen in surprise, “Do you remember me?” Tony nods, his eyes watery. 

“Oh my God,” Peter sniffs. “It worked!” Tony smiles and leans down, hugging Peter tightly, mindful of his injury. Peter relaxes into the familiar embrace. Tony’s hand in his curls and the comforting scent of his shampoo mixed with the always prevalent smell of motor oil makes him remember how safe he always feels around the man. Peter clutches himself closer to Tony, his hands digging into the soft fabric of his shirt. 

He doesn’t even realize he’s crying until Tony says, “Shh, it’s okay. We’re alright, there’s no need to cry.”

Peter pulls out of Tony’s arms just enough to wipe his eyes, “Sorry, I just can’t believe you’re okay,” he murmurs. Tony smiles sadly and cups his cheek with his rough and calloused palm. Peter can’t stop himself from leaning into the touch. “I missed you,” Peter says softly. 

Tony nods, “I know,” and kisses Peter’s forehead. 

Peter wipes his cheeks, “I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

Tony frowns, “Why are you sorry?”

Peter fidgets with his fingers, “For getting you shot,” Peter explains sadly. “I-I didn’t mean-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Tony says gently, placing his hand on top of Peter’s. “I chose to save you. I chose to jump in front of you. And you know what?” Peter looks up at Tony with teary eyes. “I’d do it again and again. I will always protect you, kid and you can’t blame yourself for the things that happen to me because of it. Because at the end of the day it was my choice.” Tears stream freely down Peter’s cheeks and Tony pulls him into another hug, kissing to top of his head. “But speaking of getting shot, do you want to tell me how you got yours?”

Peter sighs, knowing he’ll have to tell him eventually he pulls out of the hug and fiddles with the hem of the blanket, “Rhodey, Bruce, and I went to get the antidote for you. We were almost done, but there was a guy I didn’t see and he shot me.” Tony sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Are you mad at me?” Peter asks hesitantly. 

Tony shakes his head, “Not at you, Pete. But I am going to have some words with Rhodey and Bruce.”

“Don’t be mad at them, Tony,” Peter says, tugging gently on the soft blankets. “Rhodey, Pepper, and Bruce kept me sane while you were...” Peter takes a slow breath. “They took care of me.” 

Tony smiles softly at the boy and a knock comes at the door. Tony calls for them to come in and Bruce gingerly opens the door, smiling when he sees Peter awake. 

“How are you feeling?” Bruce asks Peter. 

“It hurts a bit,” Peter says quietly. 

Bruce nods, “Okay, I can take care of it.” He turns to Tony, “Pepper and Rhodey are waiting for you.”

Tony stands up and kisses Peter’s forehead, “If you need me I’ll be right outside, okay?” Peter nods and Tony walks over to the door, wiping his cheeks one more time before opening it.

Rhodey and Pepper are in the chairs just outside the door. Both of them wear worried expressions on their faces and Pepper has her hands clenched tightly to a cup of coffee. They stand up when they see Tony. 

“How is he?” Rhodey asks. 

Tony smiles, “He’s alright.” Pepper and Rhodey sigh in relief. Pepper walks over to stand beside Tony, he slings his arm around her waist and turns to Rhodey. “Apparently I need to have some words with you.” Rhodey gulps. “You knew he was not stable and you still took him with you! What the hell were you thinking! He got shot!”

“Tony-”

“That being said,” Tony says quieter, “come here. We’re having a group hug.” Rhodey raises his eyebrows but nonetheless walks toward Tony. Tony hugs Pepper and Rhodey tightly. “Thank you both for looking out for him. I know it was definitely hard for you too, but he really needed you guys. So thank you for being there.”

Rhodey smiles, “Of course, Tony.” He pulls out of the hug with a smirk on his face, “Since he’s your kid he’s technically my nephew, right?”

Tony laughs, “Sure thing, platypus.” Rhodey laughs and the door to Peter’s room opens. 

“You guys can come in now,” Bruce says, poking his head into the hallway. Tony walks over to Bruce and whispers his quiet thanks before leading the way into Peter’s room.

“Hiya, kid,” Rhodey says as he walks into the room, “How are you feeling?”

“‘M okay,” Peter says. “A little sore, but okay.” Peter smiles at Tony, “Better now that Tony’s back.”

“You’re damn right I am,” Tony says. He sits on the edge of Peter’s bed. “And I'm not going anywhere.” Peter laughs and rolls his eyes.

Pepper grins at her family as she walks over and kisses the top of Peter’s head. Pepper looks to Bruce, “How long until he can come home?”

“He should be good in a few hours, his healing factor is no joke,” Bruce ruffles Peter’s hair affectionately. Tony wraps his arm around the boy’s shoulders. 

“Can we have ice cream?” Peter asks the group, fluttering his eyelashes. 

Tony chuckles, “Are you trying to use your Bambi eyes on me?”

Peter pouts his lip and bats his eyes, “Maybe...”

Tony rolls his eyes and pulls the kid into a hug, “You’re lucky those still work on me.”

“Is that a yes?” Peter asks.

Tony laughs, “Sure, kid. We can have as much ice cream as you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on tumblr: romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> I am also currently accepting prompts so send them my way if you have any!

**Author's Note:**

> Come give me prompts or say hi on tumblr! @romeoandjulietyouwish


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